The Daughter of Dragons
by Verjinya Mercer
Summary: After a flight training exercise goes terribly wrong Lacy 'Ace' Drak finds herself crash landed in the middle of a dragon sanctuary. Mortally wounded she finds salvation in a dying wizard...but is healing the only thing the women did? How will Ace escape this treacherous land with with a gunmetal dragon on her trail? And what will happen if he catches her?
1. Chapter 1

**Alaska**

 **100 Klicks from Eiellady Air Force Base**

 **16:37**

 **-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

"Ace, ease up a bit you're gonna mess up our formation."

Rolling my eyes I braked, winging to the left. "O captain! my captain! our fearful trip is done." I muttered under my breath.

"Pengone, I do believe I heard poetry coming from Ace." Taylor 'Sinjin' Sinclair jeered on the com.

"That's a dollar for the jar." Pengone the captain on this training flight growled. The flight we were on was categorized

as dark. Meaning we weren't aloud to contact the base while on this training mission but we were being monitored.

"Uncultured swine." I snorted. "Perhaps we should talk about Operation golden flow, Sinjin."

"Shut it, Ace."

"I heard Lt. May was there."

"Ace don't make me put you on FOD duty...again." Pengone snapped.

"Sir, yes, sir."

He ignored me instead trekking on. "Okay we are going to continue on for twenty klicks then I want Sinjin to pull off and head fifty klicks south. Ace I want you to continue with me east thirty klicks then pull north. Both of you evasive maneuvers on the way back to base."

"Yes, sir." Sinjin and I answered in unison just as he peeled off.

"What an impatient son of a gun." Pengone muttered.

"He learned from the best." I laughed.

"I don't know if you'er talking about me or yourself." He snorted.

"It's probably an unholy mix of the two." Sinjin butt in on the com.

"Nobody asked you." Pengone cracked.

"Yes, Capitan." He snickered.

Pengone eased his speed forcing me to quickly maneuver out of his way. "Insubordinate everyone of you."

"That was pretty close, Pen." I warned putting more space between us.

"What are you talking about?" Just as he said that he began to veer closer, the wings of his craft nearly scraping mine.

"Thats not funny!" I cried this time pulling back so that I was behind him. "What happened to that pep talk about these being million dollar aircraft's!?"

"What's wrong with you?" Pengone snapped. "I'm on a straight crose it's you-." His voice cut off just as his plane exploded showering my craft in a fireball.

"Pengone!" I shrieked trying to pull up out of the blast range, instead I was sucked in.

"Ace, what happened?" Sinjin screamed in my ear. "Where did-."

The radio went silent just as my craft went cold. As the engine died, for the briefest moment the world was weightless, followed ruffly by the sensation of falling.

"No. No. NO!" My mind went blank as the plan began to nosedive. The wind could be heard whistling around the wings. Taking a deep breath I shakily reached for the handle under my seat.

Yanking it, I was ejected forcefully from the cabin my face mask ripping from my face. The air in my lungs was squeezed out by the altitude and then again as the chute deployed. It didn't matter though because I was no longer falling.

Well, no longer fall rapidly. Although my mask was ripped off my goggles and helmet remained in tact. Breathing in what little I could I searched for a landing site.

The forested area we had been flying over just a moment ago had been replaced by gray slated rock formations. It was a good thing too because landing in a tree filled zone would not have been ideal.

Reaching up I felt for the steering line and toggle brake. Once I could steer I headed toward an outcropping of rock a klick from where I was currently.

I was about twenty five yards away when a thunderous roar sounded from behind. Whipping my head around I froze trying to identify just what type of aircraft was hurling at me.

It roared again.

It wasn't a stealth plane if the engines were that loud. Light reflected off the gray metal bouncing the light into my eyes as it got closer.

It then occurred to me just how vulnerable I was dangling alone out in the open. Jugging the distance I weighed the pros and cons of what I was about to do. The plane roared once more followed by a jet blinding light.

That then propelled me towards the decision to cut the lines.

I plummeted as soon as the line was severed.

 **-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

No matter how much you prepare you can never know just how much an impact can hurt. The chair I was sitting on took most of the impact. It was tipping over that did me in.

Because of the abrupt landing I couldn't really plan where I would fall. So when I did touch down it was temporarily on the edge of a rock ledge.

Tipping back I found myself free falling yet again.

Then suddenly I slammed head first into a dirt hill.

Turning over I picked up momentum and began to roll.

This time I managed to get my arms over my head to protect it as pebbles grated threw my sleeves and then the skin on my elbows. I seemed to roll endless before the ground leveled out and I came to a stop my body facing the ground.

"That was a bad idea." I coughed out the mouthful of dirt I had almost swallowed on the way down.

"Indeed I think it was."

Scrambling I unbuckled myself from the seat and tipped it over revealing who had spoken.

A wizened old women stood in the middle of the canyon I had fallen into.

Dressed in bright magenta her white hair shone brightly against her dark face. She held a staff that was propped up under her chin as she looked expectedly down at me. "You don't look like much."

I blinked in surprise at her welsh accent. "I feel down a hill."

"Obviously." She snorted, the velvet gown she wore swirled around her ankles. "I was here for that bit."

We both fell into uncomfortable silence as the absurdity of the situation caught up with me.

Sucking in deep breaths I took account of my body to see what was working and was wasn't. From wrist to elbow was scraped of all skin and bleeding heavily. The same went for my knees and and top half of my shins. Luckily my boots had taken the majority of the beating down there.

What really worried me though was the head trauma I received at the top of the canyon. My head was pounding and I wasn't quite sure if the ground was at an angle. Both were symptoms that had cause for alarm.

"You look like death." The old women piped up after I finished taking account.

"I feel like death." I whispered as sudden vertigo made my vision swim.

I blinked and the next time my lids opened the women was standing in front of me. A whirlwind of emotion washed over her face before pure determination set.

"Child look at me, your wounds are terrible and if you are not treated immediately you will meet death." She smelled strongly of cinnamon. "I can heal you but my time is precious." She lifted her hand and laid it on my cheek. "Why should I heal you? What makes you life valuable to the world? Prove to me you are worth my time."

I stared at her puzzled. She would take me to a hospital if I proved to her I was worth living. Before I could think about it too clearly I fell back on what I knew best.

Poetry flowed from my mouth.

"There was a man who lived a life of fire." I whispered grasping at words trying to remember what came next. "Even upon the fabric of time." My vision went blurry. "Where purple becomes orange and orange purple," I fell to my knees scraping open the wounds there, I cried out the next line. "This life glowed a dire red stain, inedible;" I looked up at the old women pleadingly. "Yet when he was dead, he saw that he had not lived."

The woman cocked her head as she studied me. "Beautiful words, beautifully arranged."

"But no less powerful." I sighed hunching over.

"Only if heard." She stepped back causing my heart to plummet.

I lifted my head I stared fire in to her heart. "Do you hear me?"

She stepped forward and knelt in front of me. "In the depths of my soul."

My eyes rolled back and I slumped forward passing out into sweet oblivion.


	2. Chapter 2

Aetherial stared down at the sleeping young women her white hair whiping around her head in the still air. Even though child had lost consciousness her wounds continued to bleed. "Well, we can't have you dying before I can help. Can we?"

Her eyes glazed over. Thin tendrils of sand wafted upwards as if stirred by a wind current. The ribbons of dirt and pebbles spiraled while growing thicker and wider.

Once the strands were a foot wide Aetherial gestured for the bands to wrap around the sleeping lady. At her command they surged forward lifting the unconscious form. The bands supported her head, waist and legs cradling her like a child.

"Come we have many things to do." She whispered to the dirt.

Spinning on her heel she began a steady march out of the steep valley, the young woman drifting behind her obediently on the shifting sand. She hummed softly as she worked her way along.

Once at the lip of the valley she took in the surrounding scenery. Stretching out farther than the eye could see was a frozen ocean. Flecked and marbled with white air bubbles, the ice was a deep midnight blue. In circling the wide expanse were curling waves immovable as if stopped by time.

"This will not do." The old woman murmured.

Before stepping out on to the ice she flicked her wrist at the sand which began to strip the fabric away from the young women's body. On the ice the older women crouched splaying her fingers and digging into the ground.

High pitched screeches emitted from the woman's throat as she dug deeper into the crusted ice. Looking skyward Aetherial watched the last beams of sunlight disappear below the horizon. She slowly sank into the rapidly melting ice.

A white bird encircled her as she contemplated her existence (which frankly was boring). The white bird landed on the shore shaking out his wings.

Looking out at the sunset the old woman sighed. "Thereof it comes that these fair souls, which have the most resemblance of that heavenly light…What do think of the setting of this sun? Garuda."

" **Why have you called me.** "

While Aetherial was studying the sky the white bird transformed himself in to a dog/bird hybrid. Standing no taller than the old woman's waist the created was built like an abnormally large bulldog with a set of angelic wings grafted into it's back. He grumpily ruffled his feathers as he got his bearings.

Aetherial cocked her head at the strange creature. "I need your help."

The creatcher stumbled towards the naked young woman and sniffed her suspiciously. " **She is dead.** "

"Almost." Aetherial interjected. "Almost is not absolute."

Garuda looked over his shoulder at the old lady. " **Why did you summon me? You have more than enough power to save the girl.** "

The old woman raised an eyebrow. "I intend to pass my mantel onto the child."

He snorted. " **This is a bad idea...I'm so glad you invited me.** "

"And that is why you are here." She said. "Also, I need you to keep an eye on her."

" **I knew it!** " Garuda stamped his paws. " **Nothing in this world is free.** "

Aetherial gave the creatcher a toothy grin. "Let's get down to business."

Stretching out her arm she beckoned the water up into the sky. Separating into ribbons they surged toward the young women taking the job of supporting as the sand fell away.

The old woman pulled the water and the child towards her. The water encompassed the young womans body as she pulled to a stop in front of Aetherial.

" **You need light.** " Garuda said. Tilting his head back he barked at the stars.

As if they feared him they glowed brighter dousing the sea with rich white light.

"Thank you." The old woman said primly.

She too tilted her head back to take in the light as screeches began again to emit from her throat.

The water surrounding the two crashed together, churling in a silent storm, answering what ever call the screeches asked for…

Until suddenly it all froze.

"I give thee my fire light." Aetherial sang in between the shrill cries and burning light wafting like an aura around her. The water began to steam and boil.

"You say that you have not lived?" Aetherial whispered. "Do not wait for death's second attempt to spur you into living."

Before Aetherial could finish the ocean turned white and all was lost in bright light.


End file.
